A Simple Answer
by bigbill16
Summary: The day after losing to his rival at the Indigo Plateau, Ash wakes up to a world where he was never born. One best friend has become an enemy, another has joined a rebel alliance, and Team Rocket now rules the world with an iron fist. In trying to reverse this alternate reality, Ash will discover how one simple answer can affect the future.


**Author's note: Trying out something new here. This story takes place only in the Kanto region, and concerns only the first 151 Pokémon. Also, it is important to understand there is a difference between Red from the manga and video games, and Ash from the anime, because both characters are major parts of this story. I took some liberties with deciding how long Ash was on his quest to get to the Elite Four, but the journey pretty much follows the one you take in the game. I do not own any of these characters... Enjoy!**

Chapter 1 The Pendant

"Excuse me, sir," the nurse said politely so as to not upset the surrounding visitors. However, the customer dressed in a blue and white jacket with a black undershirt seemed no closer to waking up.

She looked around cautiously, observing the number of civilians who had gathered in the Pokemon Center. She didn't feel like attracting attention to herself with an obnoxiously loud shriek, so she reached out her arm and tapped him gently on the head.

"Misty, just let me sleep in for once," he grumbled before shifting his shoulders and nodding off to sleep once more. The nurse was unfamiliar with whom he spoke of, but she paid the comment no mind.

"Excuse me, sir," she persisted, removing his cap that drooped down over his eyes.

This action appeared to do the trick as the boy sprang from his seat, life having suddenly rushed back into him. The nurse tried to suppress her laughter as he mumbled and shook his head vigorously in an attempt to regain his senses. The nurse also noticed the boy's loud awakening had drawn the attention she was trying so hard to keep at bay.

"I'm sorry," the boy said mid-yawn. "I must have dozed off; guess I didn't realize how tired I was."

The nurse couldn't help but smile at his sheepish grin. "Ash Ketchum, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's me. Is everyone ready?"

"They've been ready for about twenty minutes now. We tried calling your name, but you were sound asleep. Most of us didn't have the heart to wake you from your sweet dreams."

Ash was thinking he would have preferred if they had just woke him up so as not to waste time, but he couldn't find the guts to say it when faced with Nurse Joy's innocent smile. "Great," he simply answered, accompanying his response with another loud yawn.

"And what have you been up to that's left you so tired?" asked the nurse as she lead Ash over to the counter. She opened a waist-high door that was connected to the counter in order to get behind the desk. She moved to the back while still listening intently for a reply to her question.

"Just trying to get back home," Ash replied while rubbing the crust out of his eyes. He watched as the nurse arrived at a back counter where the trays of pokeballs were kept. "Spent all of yesterday traveling."

"And where is home for you?" She finally settled on a tray containing an empty slot, meaning it possessed five pokeballs rather than six. A note rested on the front of the tray that had the name "ASH KETCHUM" written on it, accompanied by another note placed to the side.

"Pallet Town," he answered proudly as he saw the nurse read the note and then promptly head to the back. Pallet Town was a quiet, peaceful town that no one really thought of when they thought of breeding grounds for top Pokemon trainers. Therefore Ash always tried to do his hometown proud by announcing his origins.

The nurse chuckled at the way Ash puffed out his chest when saying those two words. She turned around and was holding what appeared to be a yellow, overgrown rodent. It was mostly yellow with red circles on its cheeks and had a lightning bolt tail that was brown at the base. "Well it's good to hear you're almost there. Must have been a long journey for you to pass out in the lobby like that. I'm sure it will feel much better to collapse on a comfy bed." She set the mouse-like creature on the counter and giggled at the sight of it leaping onto its owner's shoulder.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy, I'm looking forward to it."

 **. . . . .**

Ash took a breath of the fresh morning air as he passed through the double doors of the Pokemon Center. "Well, Pikachu," he said, turning to his yellow companion. "Our journey's almost complete. Just one last leg left to travel." He smiled as the creature on his shoulder let out its signature _Pika_ sound effect. He took another deep breath and started southward on Route 1, the road that lead to Pallet Town.

He jumped forward sharply as a car horn sounded loudly right behind him. He rubbed his ears in frustration, but calmed down once he listened to the laughter that accompanied it. "Hey, pal, wanna hitch a ride?"

He was used to seeing the red Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution filled to the brim with cheerleaders, so it took him a minute to recognize the vehicle when it was only occupied by his rival. "Gary?" he asked, astounded that his adversary had not beaten him home.

"You seem surprised. Hop in, Ash, you look like you're ready to collapse."

Ash let out a faint smile as he thought about how he would never have accepted any favors from Gary at the beginning of his adventure. However, both trainers had matured exceptionally since that day three years ago, and Ash knew he'd be crazy not to accept a ride in his exhausted state. He simply nodded his head as Gary opened the passenger door from inside the car.

"Damn, you've been making good time," expressed Gary. "Have you been stopping for any rest at all?"

Ash groaned as he was hoping to just nod off and wake up on arrival, but he didn't wish to be rude to the person doing him a huge favor. "Just a couple Pokemon Centers here and there," he moaned, not sure if Gary was able to make out words from it. "I'll be honest, I'm surprised you were actually behind me. We trekked up to Pewter City so I could say farewell to my friends. And with you having a car and all, I don't see how you haven't already gotten back home."

At the mention of Pewter City, Ash found himself thinking of his friends that he bade farewell to. He had been travelling with them for three years now, they had become a part of his everyday life. He felt as if he was leaving pieces of himself behind when he parted ways with Misty and Brock. They had always been there for him through all of his struggles, and even though he knew there would eventually come a day they'd have to part ways, he now found himself wishing that day could have waited.

"Oh well, you know, just got caught up in talking to some people." After noticing how uneasy Gary was in answering the question, Ash realized his sleep deprivation had gotten the better of him again. Having become the new champion of the Kanto League, Gary would have spent hours having to deal with reporters and celebrities.

"Hey, Gary, my bad, don't answer that," groaned Ash. "I'm so damn tired I forgot about all that crap you had to deal with. Guess that's the one bright side to losing to you; no one bothers with second place."

"Come on, Ash, don't bring that up."

Ash silently cursed himself for making an awkward situation out of their short trip. "Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, trying to think of a way to save the conversation. "I actually did have a couple guys talk to me. Nothing much, just a couple questions apiece. One guy wondered why I sent out Tauros to start my battle with you." He chuckled to himself thinking about it.

"You know like ninety percent of those guys know nothing about Pokemon battles, right?" Ash let out a small laugh in response. "Seriously, Ash, most of those reporters are guys who couldn't cut it as trainers, so they picked a profession where they can sit back and nitpick every little move we make during battles." Ash continued to chuckle, which brought a smile to Gary's face. "You fought a good battle, Ash; you have nothing to be ashamed of."

Now it was Ash's turn to smile. "Three years ago when we started on this journey, would you have ever believed we'd be having this kind of civil conversation?"

Gary seemed taken aback by the comment initially, but then took a moment to reminisce on their early years. The two had fought almost every time they ran into each other, with Gary coming out the victor each bout. "Yeah, we were a pair of immature punks; me especially."

Ash leaned back and let out a voracious yawn; he could practically feel the cloth sheets of his bed against his skin already. Before he could lower his hat to shield himself from the sun, he caught a brief glimpse of an object in the sky. "Gary, stop the car!"

Ash soon regretted his abrupt instructions when his head slammed against the dashboard. He vigorously rubbed his head as he quickly jumped out of the vehicle. "Yo, Ash, what's up?" asked a perplexed Gary.

"I saw something," Ash replied, pacing back and forth trying to locate his target in the sky. "It was moving really fast; might have been a Pokemon."

"Like the one you saw your first day as a trainer, right?" asked Gary, scanning the skies to no avail.

"Never gonna let me forget that one, are you?"

"Not a chance." The two continued to gaze at the azure world above for a brief moment. "Plus, you're exhausted. I'd be seeing shit too if I was in your state. Come on, we're almost home."

 **. . . . .**

Ash waved goodbye to his rival as he slowly stumbled his way to his house. Pikachu had now fallen asleep on his left shoulder, and he was looking to do the same on his bed. He turned around to see the throng of people gathering around Gary, eager to ask him all sorts of questions; a scene Ash had become familiar with. However he knew there was one person waiting inside who was going to treat him like a champion regardless.

As he turned his attention back to his front door, and caught the last glimpse of the setting sun, he winced as something in the grass reflected light into his eyes.

"What is this?" asked Ash, as he gave it a brief look-over. It appeared to be a gold pendant; an oval with two horns coming out the top, with a thin cross attached to act as a handle. One side of the oval had a white face and lines not unlike a watch, but without numbers or hands.

"Ash, honey, is that you?" came a familiar voice as he turned to see his mom come racing through the doorway to hug him. Without thinking, he quickly pocketed the obscure item before being practically tackled by her. "Oh, Ash Ketchum, I'm so proud of you. I watched every single battle on TV."

These were usually the moments that would completely embarrass the young man, but he didn't care right now. It felt so good to be in his mom's tight embrace, knowing he was still number one to somebody. "Wow, Mom, every one? Usually it's impossible to get you in front of the set for a Pokemon battle."

"On a regular basis, you're right. But no way was I passing up a chance to watch my boy."

Ash grinned again as he was finally released from the tight embrace and strolled into the house. He was too tired to entertain any notion of food, and instead walked straight ahead up the staircase that led to his room. He decided he was too tired to even change clothes, as he made straight for his newly-made bed, kicking his shoes off just before collapsing on it. Pikachu softly rolled off his trainer's shoulder onto a bare spot next to Ash. Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around the mouse-like Pokemon, holding him close as they both drifted off into a deep slumber.

 **To be continued...**

 **So as usual, we get a chapter of peace and quiet before things get going. I apologize if the editing seems rushed; it's been a while since I've posted on this account, and I was really eager to give you guys something to read. Please R &R. And I strongly encourage criticism, as long as it's somewhat constructive and not just a string of bashing. And for fans of my other work, I promise I haven't forgotten about those stories.**


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